Are You a Cyberchondriac?

March 17, 2017

When you’re a person who doesn’t have much time on their hands, the most mundane and essential tasks can feel like the most awkward and time-consuming.

One of these for me is any kind of medical appointment. With Elfie requiring regular check-ups at hospital, any visit to the GP for me feels like something I just don’t have time for: I will do literally anything to escape the inevitable germ-filled waiting room where you’re usually penned in for at least fifteen minutes over your appointment time.

I often feel rushed in and out before I remember your symptoms, and spend the drive home wondering if I really made the most out of my precious NHS 12 minutes.

Which is why I approach my medical appointments slightly differently these days. Though I wouldn’t consider myself an all-out hypochondriac, I am partial to the odd Google or two if I suspect something’s up. I do a good few searches, reading as many sources as I can, heading to the doctor’s full of knowledge and ideas… forewarned is forearmed and all that.

I’m not the only person to rely on a search engine when I suspect something’s happening medically. According to a survey carried out by LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, a massive 81% of people have searched their symptoms online at one point or another.

LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor have a team of highly qualified, fully trained doctors are on hand to support you online at a time that suits you. They offer a range of services, from STI home testing kits to travel vaccines – they’re a top source of doxycycline tablets uk for those who are travelling somewhere exotic! They’re discreet and professional, providing safe, effective treatments.

Unsurprisingly the survey uncovered the fact that people aged 14 to 25 are most likely to search for issues relating to sexual health (it’s certainly less embarrassing to do this over discussing your symptoms with your GP), and 23% reported feeling reassured from searching their symptoms online prior to seeking medical help. You can see all of the findings in the handy infographic below:

Recently I visited the doctor with a rather embarrassing problem. You see, every six weeks or so I would have an allergic reaction to some as yet unknown stimulus, and my face (including my eyes) would blow up like a balloon and itch. It was bloody annoying and massively inconvenient: I can’t go to meetings looking like I’ve done four rounds with Mike Tyson.

And so I Googled around my symptoms and found that it was probably nothing sinister, just a stress reaction that needed controlling with stronger antihistamines than I could get over-the-counter. This put my mind at ease, and I headed to the GP to confirm. He agreed with me and dutifully handed over a prescription: voila! I take my new antihistamines every time I can feel my reaction coming on.